of his gravity and
station could, with any regard to that decency and decorum which men in
high places are expected to maintain.

Mr Tappertit did not stop here, as many public characters might have
done, but calling up his brace of lieutenants, introduced Hugh to them
with high commendation; declaring him to be a man who, at such times as
those in which they lived, could not be too much cherished. Further, he
did him the honour to remark, that he would be an acquisition of which
even the United Bulldogs might be proud; and finding, upon sounding him,
that he was quite ready and willing to enter the society (for he was
not at all particular, and would have leagued himself that night with
anything, or anybody, for any purpose whatsoever), caused the necessary
preliminaries to be gone into upon the spot. This tribute to his great
merit delighted no man more than Mr Dennis, as he himself proclaimed
with several rare and surprising oaths; and indeed it gave unmingled
satisfaction to the whole assembly.

'Make anything you like of me!' cried Hugh, flourishing the can he had
emptied more than once. 'Put me on any duty you please. I'm your man.
I'll do it. Here's my captain--here's my leader. Ha ha ha! Let him
give me the word of command, and I'll fight the whole Parliament House
single-handed, or set a lighted torch to the King's Throne itself!' With
that, he smote Mr Tappertit on the back, with such violence that his
little body seemed to shrink into a mere nothing; and roared again until
the very foundlings near at hand were startled in their beds.

In fact, a sense of something whimsical in their companionship seemed to
have taken entire possession of his rude brain. The bare fact of being
patronised by a great man whom he could have crushed with one hand,
appeared in his eyes so eccentric and humorous, that a kind of ferocious
merriment gained the mastery over him, and quite subdued his brutal
nature. He roared and roared again; toasted Mr Tappertit a hundred
times; declared himself a Bulldog to the core; and vowed to be faithful
to him to the last drop of blood in his veins.

All these compliments Mr Tappertit received as matters of
course--flattering enough in their way, but entirely attributable to his
vast superiority. His dignified self-possession only delighted Hugh the
more; and in a word, this giant and dwarf struck up a friendship which
bade fair to be of long continuance, as the one held it to be his right